Report: Sumlin contract keeps him out of NFL through 2015

Posted by Mike Florio on December 1, 2013, 1:38 PM EDT

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The news of Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin signing a six-year contract extension was met by many with a shrug. College head-coaching contracts often mean nothing, especially when it comes to leaving for the NFL.

In this case, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that Sumlin’s deal takes him off the NFL market through at least 2015, when $450 million in renovations are due to be completed at the school’s stadium, Kyle Field.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time the false impression was created that a college coach would be staying put. With recruiting season ramping up and increasing speculation that Sumlin will leave College Station along with Johnny Manziel, both Sumlin and the school need to fend off rivals who are surely telling high schoolers that Sumlin is a short timer.

Without seeing the precise language of the contract and fully understanding the financial and other legal penalties that will apply if Sumlin decides to leave, it’s impossible to know whether Sumlin truly is tied to Texas A&M beyond the current season.

3 responses to “Report: Sumlin contract keeps him out of NFL through 2015”

There’s at least a couple teams though that he could coach remotely from his laptop better than the incumbents. Does the contract say he can’t be a Virtual Telecommuting Adviser for a shell company that isn’t directly tied to the NFL?

Like I said before, it’s going to be dependent on the Buyout of his Contract and whether an NFL Team(Texans or Vikings) decides if it’s worth it. Especially to whoever drafts Manziel;they might want to get his College Coach in there due to his comfort level.